Over The Hill
by MudbloodMusings
Summary: Draco finds Hermione near the edge of the ongoing war, wounded fatally. Rated M but only because of the 'references to violence'.


Disclaimer: For once, we will keep the disclaimer simple. I don't own Harry Potter, nor am I affiliated with JKR or her publishers. Sorry, couldn't think of anything more creative. Disclaimers aren't actually meant for your entertainment, you know…On with the story…

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Draco was tired. He was injured from the battle, but not fatally. He felt weak, and fatigued. He stared around. The war continued to rage on, through the night, although so many lives had been lost. He took a deep breath, and then with every ounce of energy inside him, began to limp away from the battlefield.

A few spells were carefully aimed at him. He narrowly missed the killing curse and deflected the jinxes that followed. He was not very far from the fight, but Draco could not walk much further. He had just made it over the hill and miraculously, he spotted a tree and made his way over to it.

He was losing consciousness quickly. Draco sat down when he reached his shade, and heaved a sigh of relief, shutting his eyes.

"Fancy meeting you here," said a soft voice almost immediately.

His eyes flew open and he turned around. There, sitting next to him and sharing his tree was none other than Hermione Granger.

"Granger?" he asked, hating the tiredness that rang in his voice.

"Hmm…"she said, not wanting to waste her breath. It was only then that Draco looked at her properly. Her otherwise clear face was marred with a huge purple bruise. She had various other marks and cuts along her hands and legs. A particularly large gash which sported fresh blood on her neck caught Draco's attention.

He immediately pointed his wand at it, getting ready to heal it. He would never know why he did this.

"There's nothing you can do…" she whispered.

He ignored her and waved his wand, expecting the wound to close itself, and the blood to come rushing back into her unusually pale face.

Nothing of the sort happened, and she smiled, satisfied, as if they were both in class again and she had simply beaten him at a test.

"I told you so," she said. He simply grunted in response, and looked away from her, facing the battle once more.

A few moments of silence passed and then Draco was astonished to feel Hermione's gentle hands graze his own scars. She used her wand on each of the, a determined expression on her white face, and healed them one at a time.

He turned to her again and spoke what he was thinking, "Why are you helping me, Hermione?"

"Great time to start being on a first name basis, isn't it?" she said, smirking.

He looked to the heavens and shook his head. She was avoiding his question.

He noticed how fragile she looked and put an arm around her delicate form. She snuggled close to him, and continued to heal his wounds.

"Stop," he said. He was hurting, but his tone was unmistakable. It was an order.

"Why?" she said, ready to defy him.

"You need to save your energy."

"It doesn't matter," she said simply, "I don't have a chance at survival, anyway."

Draco was alarmed that she had accepted this fact so easily.

"Of course you do…Look; the war will be over soon. I'll get help, then…You'll make it, Hermione," he said, and squeezed her hand.

He did not know why he bothered to lie. They both knew she was going to die.

She laughed half heartedly at his attempt but said, "You, being a Death Eater, are going to help me live?"

"I, being a human, am going to help you live," he said, not missing a beat, even in his current state.

They could both pretend just for then, that his words would be made a reality.

She smiled wryly and opened her mouth to say something, but a cough got the better of her. Her body shuddered as she gasped for air, through the coughing fit.

Draco suddenly felt guilty for making her talk and held her closer.

"Shh…" he whispered, "It will be okay…"

She stopped coughing and smiled, as though she believed him, and closed her eyes. She was content, for the moment, in his arms.

They both sat under the tree, now mere spectators of the supposed 'Great' Battle. They could hear the roars and cries of Death Eaters and those who were on Harry's side, and watch jets of green and red being shot from everywhere.

"Draco…" said Hermione after a while.

"Yes?"

"I'm glad you're with me now…" she said, breathing heavily.

Draco knew what she meant. He imagined a different scenario playing out in his head…Hermione was under the same tree, without Draco. She was dying alone, an expression of pain etched across her petite face.

He pushed this idea to the back of his head, amazed at how this thought hurt him more than every curse he had been hit with that day.

"I'm glad, too," said Draco, and added as an after thought, "Thanks for healing me."

Rays of light began to appear as morning dawned upon them. The sun would join them soon.

"Don't…mention it," she said, valiantly holding on to her conscious state.

He sensed her finally starting to slip away, as each breath she took became shorter and shorter.

"Please…" he said, not sure what he was asking of her.

"Don't worry," she said hoarsely, and it struck him as odd that _she_ was the one comforting _him_.

"Don't leave me now," he said, begging her.

Her cracked lips twitched upwards and then her mouth opened, trying to speak, but her unspoken words died with her.

He felt her body become limp, and saw the life leave her eyes, as realization hit him… He yelled out loudly, not caring who heard him, or which Death Eater found him just then.

Because she was gone…Hermione Granger was dead.

Draco allowed a single tear to run down his cheek, for the girl he had barely known, as the brilliant sun rose above the hill.

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A/N hmm…I don't know if I like it yet. I'll leave that decision up to you…That is, if you think the story is worthy of a review?


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